Anxiety

Treating Anxiety, PTSD, & OCD Naturally

"I liked Dr. Peyman's concern for my overall health. I felt very comfortable, like I am still a person, not a number. Now my blood pressure is lower with less meds. My anxiety has dropped, and my overall health is much better. I love naturopathic medicine. I feel it is better for my overall health, and that is my greatest concern." --Andrea, treated for panic disorder and high blood pressure with a single homeopathic remedy. She noticed an improvement in her symptoms within a week of starting natural medicine.

HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINEFor
people who are interested in treating the underlying cause of their
mood disorder, one of the safest and most effective treatments is
classical homeopathic medicine. Homeopathy is a natural method of treatment in the form of small sublingual pills made from plants or minerals. This medicine stimulates your body’s innate ability to heal, restoring health naturally. Rather
than suppressing your symptoms like most conventional treatments,
homeopathy helps you heal from the inside out, working towards a cure
of your illness.

BOTANICAL MEDICINE (HERBAL MEDICINE)Botanical medicine is ideal for anyone who wants a natural alternative
to taking medications with harmful or unwanted side effects. There are
a wide variety of medicinal plants, and we can prescribe these herbs to
you as either capsules, liquid extracts, or teas. Passion
Flower, Lemon Balm, and Kava are often helpful for anxiety, because
they promote mental tranquility and reduce restlessness. These herbs
can also be used to help with insomnia.

ACUPUNCTUREFor treating
depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders, there are specific
acupuncture points that can be very helpful. Your doctor will check
your pulse, listen to your symptoms, and make some physical
observations to design the perfect acupuncture protocol for you as an
individual.

NUTRITION & EXERCISEA nutritious, whole foods diet can make an enormous difference for most patients suffering from anxiety or other psychiatric disorders. Providing your brain and body with the proper vitamins and minerals needed for optimal functioning is the foundation for long-term health. In addition to a healthy diet, specific targeted nutritional supplements, such as high dose fish oil and methyl B12, can be used to promote a healthy, balanced mood. Physical exercise can be a mood stabilizer as well. Many patients with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder can reduce the intensity, frequency, and duration of mood episodes by incorporating therapeutic exercise into their lives. Each patient has different nutritional and exercise requirements, and our doctors make specific nutritional and lifestyle prescriptions on a case by case basis.

TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS

GENERALIZED ANXIETYAnxiety (also known as generalized anxiety disorder) is
excessive nervousness or worry that interrupts daily activities,
without reasonable cause for nervousness. Anxious feelings occur along
with physical symptoms that are similar to those of depression, such as
difficulty concentrating, restlessness or fatigue, and insomnia. The
diagnosis of anxiety requires at least 6 months of these symptoms.
People with anxiety can also experience feelings of depression, often
alternating with anxiousness. Anxiety can also occur by itself, without
ever having any feelings of depression.

PANIC DISORDERSome
people with anxiety also have panic attacks, which are sudden episodes
of intense fear without reasonable cause. The fear associated with
panic attacks is usually accompanied by shortness of breath, a racing
heart beat, nausea, dizziness, or a headache. Some people also
experience a sudden feeling of heat or coldness, tingling of the hands
or feet, or chest pain.

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)Post
traumatic stress disorder is another type of anxiety disorder. PTSD
occurs after witnessing a life-threatening experience. This condition
is prevalent among veterans, and is also common in victims of violent
crimes, abuse, accidents, natural disasters, and other psychologically
traumatic events.

Symptoms of PTSD may occur immediately after
the event, or several months later. It is expected to be in shock for a
few hours to a few days after any highly stressful experience. However,
if the symptoms interfere with your daily life to a significant degree,
or if the symptoms persist for more than 4 weeks, professional
treatment may be necessary.

People with PTSD often have
difficulty sleeping, may feel more “on edge” than normal, and can have
flashbacks or disturbing thoughts that interrupt their daily
activities. Some people will block out memories of the traumatic event,
or become emotionally “numb” in an attempt to avoid the stress caused
by the experience. Many people with PTSD will feel depressed or
detached from others, and often turn to alcohol or substance abuse to
medicate their depression or anxiety.

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD)
OCD is an anxiety disorder in which the person experiences obsessive,
frequent, intrusive thoughts or impulses that cause significant
anxiety. Common obsessions involve fear of infectious disease, anxiety
about things being done in a specific order, or things being positioned
in a specific place. These thoughts or impulses are not simply worries
or obsessions about real life problems. The person recognizes that
these thoughts and behaviors are excessive and inappropriate, but
cannot sufficiently control them.

In order to reduce the anxiety caused by these thoughts or impulses,
the person must compulsively perform specific mental or physical tasks,
such as repeated hand washing, counting to a specific number or pattern
of numbers, or repeating words silently. The diagnosis of OCD requires
that these obsessions and compulsions cause significant impairment in
the person's work or relationships.

Somewhat more common is obsessive compulsive personality
disorder, in which the person has a rigid personality and requires that
things be performed in a specific way, but this does not cause major
impairment for the person. It is noticeable to others, and certain
obsessive behaviors may appear somewhat excessive. In OCD personality
disorder, the person may need to check and recheck whether the doors
are locked or whether the oven was left on, but there are not
necessarily distinct, intrusive, obsessive thoughts and compulsions
that create significant anxiety.

Our Holistic Mental Health Experts

Help for OCD: Dr. Tara Peyman

Help for PTSD and Generalized Anxiety: Dr. David Frederick & Dr. Vanessa Ruiz

Help for Anxiety in children: Dr. Hillary Lim

Help for PostPartum Anxiety: Dr. Lauren Salisbury

Our doctors offer a free 15 minute phone consult to get all the details on how we can help you.